Reading Mr. Scribner’s opinion and diagnosis of how the tragic deaths of four heroic law enforcement officers could have somehow been prevented had guns been outlawed sometime in the past caused me to scream at the paper and print that I held in my hands. After a brief time out and several deep breathes I decided to write a letter to help this obvious student of history (ha! ha!) wipe the apparent ignorance from his thought process and help him get a grip on the real world, not the liberal box he is certainly living in.

When I came to my senses I realized that it would be a waste of my time and energy to respond to someone who is as clueless as this poor man or anyone who is either too naïve or ignorant to understand the real purpose and protection the Second Amendment to our Constitution affords us. Without the second it’s only a matter of time before you lose the first, which is exactly what enabled Mr. Scribner the ability to express his less than insightful opinion.

However, after seeing the great response from my “gunnie” pals and the even lamer rebuttal from Mr. Scribner, I couldn’t contain myself any longer. Just to prepare all who may read this I am a terrible speller and my writing skills leave much to be desired so if the only rebuttal to my comments is to attack how I write or my punctuation then one should give pause to the ability of some to support their position.

There are several failings in Mr. Scribner’s naïve thought process, however I only want to focus on the two main points.

First, he states that “less guns equals less gun violence” and second he states that guns are offensive not defensive. Both ideas are as intellectually weak as stating that if we outlaw underwear we can stop terrorists from blowing up airliners. There are multiple FBI studies (look them up, they’re very easy to find) that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that in cities and states where it was difficult for law-abiding citizens to buy and carry firearms that when the laws were relaxed and more law-abiding citizens were carrying firearms the violent crime rates dropped significantly. It wasn’t just gun-related violent crime, but all violent crime. Maybe the violent criminals who love to prey on weak, unprotected people aren’t as tough and bold when people are capable of defending themselves.

That brings me to the second absurd point that guns are offensive not defensive. It doesn’t take an intellectual giant to open any dictionary and see that offensive means: making attack, to be the aggressor, to pursue – while defensive means: devoted to resisting or preventing aggression or attack. As you can see a piece of metal with a barrel and a handle in itself is neither offensive nor defensive, it all depends on the intent of the hand it’s in. For all who are having trouble keeping up, that simply means that a gun or any other weapon can be offensive or defensive depending on the intention of its user. When you use your gun to prevent, resist or stop an attack, by definition it’s a defensive action and therefore a defensive tool. My gun is definitely a defensive tool and I only need to point it in one direction at one time to stop some violent criminal’s offensive tool whether it’s a gun, knife, screwdriver, hammer or street post.

All who read this, whether you agree with the Second Amendment or not, should pray that someday when you or your spouse, your kids, grandkids or anyone else you love dearly is ever in a situation where a violent criminal is using any deadly weapon in an “offensive” way to hurt, maim, or kill you or your loved one, that someone like myself or one of my “gunnie” pals is somewhere close enough to defend you or your loved one with my “defensive” tool.

The sad part of this whole discussion is that our right to bear arms has nothing to do with criminals but everything to do with true freedom. Benjamin Franklin said it best: “He who is willing to give up even a little freedom for security deserves neither freedom nor security.”

I would suggest Mr. Scribner and all who believe that the answer is to take away our Second Amendment rights that they all move to Iran. I hear they have some really great gun control laws. And First Amendment rights.

I am so tired of ignorant people who don’t appreciate and understand their freedom and how they got it.

Joseph Mills

Carbonado